Loss of blood is a major cause of death in emergency situations in which the injured person does not have immediate access to medical assistance. The use of a tourniquet to stop blood loss from an injured extremity is a well-known technique for preventing death in these situations. This invention provides a convenient and high quality tourniquet for use to apply pressure to a bodily extremity. The lack of a versatile and high quality tourniquet, which is easy to use, has long presented difficulties. It is desirable to provide a tourniquet capable of being applied by an individual without the aid of another. Another desirable feature is to provide a ruggedized tourniquet which may be used in harsh environments such as may be found on a battlefield, which might include dusty, dirty, or wet conditions that may contaminate the workings of a non-ruggedized tourniquet.